Live and Let Live
by Biologynerd
Summary: There are a lot of rules in the underworld. Most importantly are the two big once. When you leave the underworld you do not get to keep your memories. The second one is that you do not get to leave before your time no matter how you got there. One girl broke both. She is alive and remembers everything. Now she just has to stay alive somehow. Not easy with the Dark Lord on your tail
1. Chapter 1

"Poor girl,"

"How?! How could this happen?! The wards should have been sufficient protection! How did they get past them?!

"Hush now Hieronymous. Obviously, they have gotten stronger. Once this matter is taken care of I will have the greatest white mages and witches I can find, improve the wards. For now this poor girl is our main concern,"

"…I will take care of the parents' memories,"

"Good. Once that is done we can send her home and she can finally be buried,"

"…Yes…"

Suddenly the body jumped up into a sitting position, gasping and coughing, and looking about the room as if expecting to be attacked at any moment.

* * *

My throat felt completely closed up and hurt enormously, my stomach was convulsing, my head was reeling and hurting and so was everything else. I suddenly felt two gentle hands on my shoulders. I tried to get away but it was impossible between the condition of my body and the strength of the grip. After a bit the coughing finally subsided so I could blink away the tears and see my surroundings. I was in a small room with what appeared to be medical beds. The person holding on to me still was an attack on the senses. All bright colors though mostly pink with a hat to match and a strong smell of some flowery perfume. She wore a big smile and there were tears in her eyes. Standing some distance away was a man who could only be described as her complete opposite. Greys and browns was all he wore with a hat in the same boring colors. He looked at me completely astounded.

"Oh sweet child! I was sure you were gone for good! Thank the heavens that you are back with us!"

I looked at the colorful woman in surprise. I was alive. I was really alive!

"Now lie down and let me fix you right up. You must be quite uncomfortable,"

I laid back down, too astounded to fight this surprisingly strong woman. Immediately she began healing me with some form of healing spell. I looked back at the grey man. He was still standing where I had last seen him but he seemed more in control now. He seemed strangely familiar though I couldn't but my finger on where I should have met him. Realizing I was staring at him he cleared his throat and approached me.

"How are you feeling?"

"I've been better," I croaked.

"Lie still while I check you for brain damage,"

Without further ado, he casted some sort of spell on me.

"It would seem there is no damage to your brain. It is quite a miracle since you were dead for several minutes,"

"Hieronymous! Don't scare the child."

This Hieronymous looked at the woman, seemed to consider her words and then looked back at me.

"Do you remember what happened?"

"No,"

"You were attacked by a group of goblins while on school grounds. Somehow they got past the school wards,"

That explained why I had been feeling like crap. The girl had been attacked when she died. It was lucky that the body had been healed enough for me to be able to use it. I had to be careful about what I did from now on. If they found out that I wasn't who they thought I was they might try to force me out of the body. I needed time for my soul to attach itself more firmly into this body before they found out. For now, I was too vulnerable to let anyone find out the truth. In order to hide it I had to find out more about this world and this girl's life, I had now taken as my own. I looked at Hieronymous. He had been the one most forthcoming with information but he didn't look like the chatty type. The woman healing me seemed more so but how to get them to talk. I had to be careful about how I did this.

"Was anyone else hurt?"

The woman looked at me for a moment with a smile before returning her focus to the healing. I was already feeling a lot better. She had to be quite a powerful green witch. Possibly the principal since those two were often connected.

"Blessedly no. We took care of the goblins quite quickly after we realized they had gotten unto school grounds,"

Not fast enough for this young girl.

"Finished! Why don't you try walking around to see if anything still hurts duckling?"

Duckling?

I got out of the bed with a little help from the woman. My entire body felt stiff. I walked back and forth a couple of times but nothing seemed to hurt other than some sour muscles. At the other end of the room I saw a mirror and walked towards it. The reflection looking back at me was quite different from how I used to look. She was small, about 5'4 to my 5'9, brown slightly curly hair stopping mid shoulder blade to my red straight hair stopping at my hips. She had a delicate looking face. In general, she looked very delicate. My own face had had stronger lines though still feminine. Before I would have been described as striking where this girl would be called cute. It was quite a change.

"Don't worry chicken. There should be no scarring,"

The woman had put her hands on my shoulders and looked over my shoulder at my reflection. I was glad they had drawn their own conclusion as to why I had starred so fixatedly at my reflection. And what was with her and the pet names? Then I realized I was wearing a ripped up school uniform. I turned around freeing myself from her hold in the process. I had never much liked strangers touching me and my time in the underworld hadn't changed that.

"Do you think I could get a change of clothes?" I gave her a small smile.

"Of cause pumpkin. I'll just go get some from your room. Just wait here," she smiled brightly enough to blind angels.

She walked out and left me alone with Hieronymous. From what I gathered I was a student at a magical academy and most likely Hieronymous was a professor so calling him by his first name would probably be strange. Of cause times could have changed while I had been dead but I would rather not take the chance. I still hadn't found out how to get the information I needed and this professor didn't seem inclined to give me anything willingly. Which left me starring around the room uncomfortably. After a short while he cleared his throat again. It seemed to be a nervous gesture.

"Miss Campbell, you should sit down. You might be healed but too much strain will still be hard on your body,"

"Ah, yes,"

I go back to the bed, which he is still standing next to, and sit down. I feel both antsy and exhausted at the same time. A couple of minutes go by in complete silence while we wait for the woman. When she does arrive, it is with great cheer and a change of clothes in her arms.

"Here you go dearie. I brought Miss Danson and Miss Middleton. They are waiting outside and will take you back to your room once you are changed. Come on, Hieronymous. Let us give the girl some privacy,"

They were soon out the door and I was finally alone. That was when it really began seep in. I was alive. I had escaped the underworld and was now alive. I might not be in my own body but it was by far better than being dead. Now I just had to stay alive. One step at a time. For now, I had to get changed. Then I would go greet the two girls that were probably my friends, who would most likely take me to my room and there I might be able to learn more about my new life. The uniform I had been given looked to be the same as the one I had been wearing minus the holes. It was a grey rope with a green cape and a green belt with a horse insignia. After making sure everything looked as it should in the mirror, I walked out through the door. Outside was standing the two professors and two girl. One had white skin, blond hair, brown eyes and was strongly built. The other purple, dark red hair, purple eyes, black skin and a more athletic built. The first one was about my height while the other was a bit taller, about 5'7. They both started fussing about be immediately as I came out.

"Hey, are you okay? Potsdam wouldn't tell us what had happened," the red-haired girl began.

"Yeah, I'm fine. I was attacked by goblins but I'm fine now,"

"Goblins?! There are goblins on the school ground?" the blond exclaimed.

"Don't worry sunshine. They have been taken care of and we are going to have the wards strengthened immediately,"

Good to know I wasn't the only one she used those strange endearments on.

"Now, why don't you go back to your room so Miss Campbell can rest?"

"Ah, yes professor Potsdam. Professor Grabiner," they both nodded at the teachers and began escorting me back to what I was now guessing was the room I shared with the two girls. A least now I knew the name of the two professors. The woman was professor Potsdam and the man was professor Grabiner. It send a twinge of pain to my heart. I now understood why the man seemed familiar. I had known a Grabiner once, when I was still Sarah Harbor. The two girls kept talking while we were walking. I learned that the red head was Virginia, the other was Ellen and I was now Alice Campbell. When we finally got to our room, I was completely exhausted. I decided to dig for information tomorrow and was soon asleep on my bed with clothes and all.


	2. Chapter 2

So, finaly got my act together and wrote a new chapter. I've made some small changes to the first chapter so I recommend rereading that if you have already read it. I'll try writing new chapters more often though I can make no promises :)

Hope you enjoy!

* * *

The next day I woke up feeling much better. Most of the sourness and exhaustion was gone and I felt a lot more clearheaded. Realizing I was still in my uniform I looked through the closet with what seemed to be my clothes. The uniform should be wearable after a quick cleaning spell. With that I headed towards the shower. When I returned both of the girls were awake.

"Good morning Alice. How are you feeling?" Ellen asked looking quite concerned as if I would pass out at any moment.

"I'm fine. I'm considering going for a walk after breakfast,"

"Don't you think that's a little rash? Especially since that is what you were doing yesterday when you were attacked,"

"Come on Ellen, you know Alice. She has never let anything stop her from going on those walks through the woods," Virginia was grinning and then winked at me. "Might as well give up on trying,"

Ellen frowned but then sighed. "Fine, but don't go too far,"

"Sure," I smiled. Glad to know that I had something in common with this girl. Besides, I needed time to find out more about my new life. One way was to ask around but that would be rather suspicious. Another option was to try and access her memories. It would be a strenuous activity that would drain me both magically, mentally and physically, and would have been better put off until I was feeling better but the longer I ran around confused like this the more danger I was in.

We walked together down to the cafeteria and after breakfast we went our separate ways. It seemed what had happened had been kept quiet since no one looked worried. This professor Potsdam had a very strange way of operating her school. Hopefully she had done something to make the place safer since yesterday. I kept walking for a while until I found a quiet spot some way from the school with a lot of brush to lessen the chance of someone spotting me. I sat down and considered what exactly I wanted to do. I needed a lot of information now but most likely my body would give up before I had everything I needed. That meant I needed some way to keep getting info as I went through each day. So dig in and then as I was pulling out I would make a sort of door that I could pull bits of information out of as I needed it. The retrieving would be far from smooth and there was no way of knowing if I would get the right information when I needed it if anything at all but it was my best option. The magic I had to use was very advanced, another reason it would be hard on this body that was very clearly not at that level yet, so I probably couldn't get much this round so I had to focus on the most important things. Friends, family and school related things since they were bound to be problem areas. I took a deep breath and started casting. Almost immediately a slight headache set in and I knew I had less time than expected. I crashed through the barrier around the old memories and almost drowned in the noise and sensations of all the memories that overtook me. I bit down hard on my lip to help me focus, and then I began directing the memories so I only got information about my 3 focus areas. Even with that it all flowed into my mind too quickly for me to process it. The headache was now becoming excruciating and I began to pull out. As planned I made the doorway but I couldn't be sure how well it was made. When I could finally pull out completely I couldn't move. I was lying on the ground breathing as if I had run a marathon and if I could I would have screamed from the headache. After half an hour I could finally move again and the headache was now manageable. I began going through all the memories I had collected. It was currently the beginning of my third year at Iris Academy, a magical academy in the Green Mountains close to Springfield, New Hampshire. I was a wildseed from Brighton and had a good relationship with my parents. I had an affinity for green magic which was quite lucky since that fitted with my previous life. Apparently I was living in Horse Hall and also treasurer third year in a row. From there the memories didn't provide many other useable facts but were just random memories of things happening here or at home. Nothing I could put into context. By the time I was done I felt ready to get up though I was slightly dizzy and still had a headache. I began heading back to my room to sleep but stumbled into my roommates who forced me to join them for lunch. As we sat down to eat Ellen looked at me.

"So, think you'll be ready for classes next week? Maybe you should relax the next couple of days,"

I considered her question. A good idea would be to avoid the teachers until I'd claimed this body for my own but that might cause suspicion. The best idea would probably be to go to class.

"I'll go to class. I'd just get bored sitting around doing nothing," I gave her a crooked smile.

"You're really reckless," she frowned but then shook her head and smiled slightly.

As we were leaving the cafeteria someone touched my shoulder and said my name. I turned around to see professor Potsdam. How could such a colorful person sneak up on me?

"Yes professor?"

"How are you feeling dearie?" A concerned look on her face.

"I'm fine professor. Only a slight headache and a bit tired,". Understatement of the year but I'd rather not have her focus on me.

"Good good. Do tell me if you begin feeling worse" the concerned expression was now replaced with a beaming smile.

When we were back in our room I crashed on the bed once again and was quickly asleep.


	3. Chapter 3

So this time this got an update. Both of my stories are still on my mind but for now I'll focus on this one since I can't seem to think of how to continue with "Where the River Takes Us". Hope you enjoy.

* * *

Monday I wake up early, finally rid of my exhaustion from all that has happened. I get dressed but since there is still some time until breakfast and the girls are fast asleep I decide to look around the room. I look at one of the desks in the room and get this nagging feeling. I begin looking through the draws and find a calendar with my name on it. I take it with me over to my bed and begin looking through it. The last day that has anything written on it is Friday October 11th. That must mean that I came here on the 12th. Mostly what's written here is what classes has been taken and what new spells has been learned. It also says that I've just won the election for treasurer. Great. Something else to worry about. It's early in the year so there's not much useful information and with my luck the once from the previous years are at this girl's home. I look through the desk draws again and find a booklet about treasurer duties. I have to get up at 5am every Saturday? Damn..

The week passes quickly with few screw ups. Sometimes Virginia or Ellen would ask me about things from the past like "Hey, what did you give Donald last year for his birthday," or "what's it like working with _Grabby_ again?". Somehow I managed to either avoid answering or give some vague answer. The "door" hasn't been giving me anything. Maybe I should take a look at it this weekend.

It's Saturday and I have to do my treasurer duties. I get to the conference room and lock myself in. I look around hoping to get that nagging feeling again but nothing comes. On the table stands a metal box with a lock. I try one of the keys on the keychain and the box unlocks. From what I read in the booklet, I have to sort and deliver the mail and allowance. While sorting I hear the door open and I look up. It is professor Grabiner. His familiarity has been bothering me. The Grabiner I knew have to be closely related to him but I can't see a way to get knowledge about his family. If there's one thing I've learned this week it's that this man is a bomb with a short fuse who let's no one close. A student asking about his family would NOT be well received.

"Good morning professor,"

He growls something unintelligible in reply. Not a morning person either it would seem. He reaches for a letter laying separate on a shelf, looks at it a moment and burns it. I sit up straight in surprise. Why would he do that? What was in that letter? He glances over at me.

"Why do you look so surprised? You have seen me do this on numerous occasions,"

"Oh. Well. I guess it just caught me off guard," I stutter.

At this he raises a brow. Shit! My heart start beating faster as I panic. He is too observant. Suddenly a piercing pain goes through my head and images begin flashing in front of my eyes.

" _Good morning professor,"_

" _Morning," he growls._

 _He walks over to the shelf, grabs a letter, quickly looks at it and incinerates it. I try to stifle a giggle but am only half successful. Grabiner glares at me._

" _Something funny?" he snarls_

" _No, no, nothing at all," I look down in the hope of avoiding detention. He grumbles something and leaves the room closing the door with more force than necessary. I giggle again. Sometimes he really acts like a teenager._

The memory ends and I'm back in the present. It's difficult to say when this happened but maybe about a year ago. I've got a headache again. It is beginning to seem like a constant state for me. As I look up Grabiner is right in front of me looking concerned. I jump in surprise.

"Miss Campbell, are you not well?"

"Ah yes, just a sudden headache," I try to smile reassuringly

He frowns "perhaps your brain took some damage while you were dead after all. I thought I checked it thoroughly. Sit still while I check again,"

"No!" I jump up and the chair tips behind me. The spell I put on my mind, I know, would show up if he checked my mind again. That is one of the risks by using this spell. And there is no good explanation I could give for why or how my mind is bespelled like this. He now has a much deeper frown on his face. I have to do something quick. I have to get out of here before he forces me to be examined.

"Really, it's nothing. Just a small headache. It's already gone," I smile to try and hide the panic I know is evident on my face. I begin pick up the letters and allowance though I wasn't done putting them in order but I need to get out.

"Miss Campbell!" Grabiner barks but I'm already heading for the door.

"Really I'm fine. Don't worry about it," I throw over my shoulder rushing out the door.

Fuck! Fuck! Fuck! That was NOT good. Suspicious as hell. I decide to avoid Grabiner for the next while.

On Monday, Virginia mentions that we have an exam on Friday. If I remember correctly it's the second exam of the year. I haven't been to an exam like this in years. I'm rather nervous. I've been careful about doing magic in front of others. Since I was years older than this girl in my last life I have to be careful not to show how proficient I am. Guess I'll just have to be especially careful. The next couple of days I spend in self-study since I don't know how much the teachers communicate. As the week goes on I feel my soul slowly claiming this body. There are small attachment but not at all enough for me to feel safe yet. I am also slowly getting used to being a teenager again and am trying to pick up on the way they speak though both Ellen and Virginia have pointed out on more than one occasion when I've used old fashioned expressions or in general spoken in a more mature way.

Friday arrives and it's exam day. I'm rather nervous. Not that I'll fail. I'm rather confident in that regard since I've already had years with practical use of magic in both war-related situations and other more domestic situations. Problem is that I can't allow that to show so I have to blunder through it. I arrive at the exam room and after a moment of hesitation grab hold of the handle. In the same moment, I am teleported into a dark room with pillars lit by a few torches. Seems to be a dungeon.

"Greetings Alice Campbell. In this exam your goal in to reach the door at the other side of the room. But be warned, you are not alone," and then the voice disappears.

I look ahead of me. The door is about 20 meters in front of me and I can't see any creatures in the room with me. I look down and realise I'm within a ward. I bend down to study it more closely. From what I can tell it is supposed to hold spirits out and only that. Probably how they could teleport me into it. So, it is spirits I am dealing with, but what kind? With that I see the ward deactivate. Fuck. I look around for more clues and think I see something in the corner of my eye but the only movement are the shadows. I try casting Spirit Sight and that's when I see them. Bodys of energy in the shadows. These are definitely shadow people. I am quite familiar with them since they thrive in the underworld. They hunt in packs by chasing the victim until they are exhausted from both running and from the bits of energy they take every time they they are able to touch you. When the victim is too tired to move they all move in and suck out the life energy from him or her. They have one big weakness though. They have to stay in the shadows. They can send out small tendrils of shadow to touch you but their main "body" has to stay in the shadows. Most would think just casting light would be the solution here but you have to be sure there is no shadow for them to attach themselves to. That includes your own. I can see them getting closer, jumping from shadow to shadow. I look at the door, focus on it so I'm sure I know where it is and close my eyes. Then I cast light but with all the power of a flash grenade and throw it into the air where it stays. I here the shadow people shriek but I'm not done. I do this 3 more times down towards the door and then I run. My eyes are still closed and so I run into the door and almost fall on my butt. This makes me lose some focus and two of my lights go out though luckily it's the once furthest away. Not elegant but I'm not diner. I cast Open at the door and another light goes out. I can almost hear the shadow people getting closer and I throw open the door and throw myself through it. Too many times have they gotten a taste of me before I learnt how to efficiently deal with them. More IS more with them. When I open my eyes I'm out on a green area of the school and Potsdam is there, looking pleased.

"Well done! 5 merits for succeeding and 5 more for doing so completely unharmed. They are not easy spirits to deal with,"

"No they most definitely are not," I can't help but frown at the thought of them.

Potsdam looks at me a bit confused. "Have you had many dealings with them?"

I look up quickly, realising how my words sounded. " No, no! I've just.. Read that.." I smile reassuringly.

Potsdam doesn't look convinced but lets me go with that. I would be a terrible spy. When I get back to my room Ellen and Virginia are back too. They both passed though Ellen used a ward but Shadow People can bypass those if your shadow sticks out which it did so she had to chase them away every time with a burst of light. Virginia had a lot more trouble but reached the door with some energy left. After dinner we all agreed to go to bed early.


End file.
